Hong Kong#

General#

Hong Kong Hong Kong officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is an autonomous territory on the Pearl River Delta of East Asia. Macau lies across the delta to the west, and the Chinese province of Guangdong borders the territory to the north. With a total land area of 1,106 square kilometres and a population of over 7.3 million of various nationalities, it ranks as the world's fourth most densely populated sovereign state or territory.

City view, Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf (2015)

Wong Tai Sin Temple#

Wong Tai Sin Temple is a well known shrine and major tourist attraction in Hong Kong. It is dedicated to Wong Tai Sin, or the Great Immortal Wong. The 18,000-m² Taoist temple is famed for the many prayers answered: "What you request is what you get" via a practice called kau cim. The temple is located on the southern side of Lion Rock in the north of Kowloon.

Wong Tai Sin Temple(1), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Wong Tai Sin Temple(2), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Wong Tai Sin Temple(3), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Wong Tai Sin Temple(4), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Wong Tai Sin Temple(5), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Man Mo Temple#

Man Mo Temple or Man Mo Miu is a Cantonese transliteration of Wen Wu temple. The two gods were popularly patronized by scholars and students seeking progress in their study or ranking in the civil examinations in the Ming and Qing dynasties. There are several Man Mo Temples in Hong Kong, the best known of which is the temple in Sheung Wan.

Man Mo Temple(1), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Man Mo Temple(2), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Man Mo Temple(3), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Chi Lin Nunnery#

Chi Lin Nunnery is a large Buddhist temple complex located in Diamond Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1934 as a retreat for Buddhist nuns and was rebuilt in the 1990s following the traditional Tang Dynasty architecture. The temple halls have statues of the Sakyamuni Buddha, the goddess of mercy Guanyin and other bodhisattvas. These statues are made from gold, clay, wood and stone.

Chi Lin Nunnery(1), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Chi Lin Nunnery(2), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Chi Lin Nunnery(3), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

ICC Tower#

The International Commerce Centre (ICC) is a 108-storey, 484m commercial skyscraper completed in 2010 in West Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is a part of the Union Square project on top of Kowloon Station. It was the 4th tallest building in the world (third in Asia) when its construction was completed in 2010. Now, it is the world's 10th tallest building by height, world's fifth tallest building by number of floors, as well as the tallest building in Hong Kong.

ICC Tower, Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

The Hong Kong Observation Wheel#

The Hong Kong Observation Wheel is a 60-metre tall Ferris wheel located on the Central and Wan Chai Reclamation overlooking Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong. It was presented by Swiss AEX, a company who claims their experience in Ferris wheel operations for more than a decade in their proposal contract. 90% of the site surrounding the wheel is accessible to the public with food and beverages available for purchase. Also, live entertainments are held at the event plaza throughout the year, which is suitable for all ages.

The Hong Kong Observation Wheel, Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

1881 Heritage#

The 1881 Heritage are several buldings and artefacts that have been restored. They serve now as shopping mall, heritage hotel and a exhibition hall.

1881 Heritage(1), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

1881 Heritage(2), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

1881 Heritage(3), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Lantau Island#

Lantau Island is the largest island in Hong Kong, located at the mouth of the Pearl River. Administratively, most of Lantau Island is part of the Islands District of Hong Kong. A small northeastern portion of the island is located in the Tsuen Wan District. Originally the site of fishing villages, the island has been developed in recent years with the construction of Tung Chung New Town on its north-western coast and the completion of several major infrastructure projects, including Lantau Link (1997), Hong Kong International Airport (1998), Hong Kong Disneyland (2005) and Ngong Ping 360 (2006).

Ngong Pin 360, Hong Kong | ©pixabay.com(2016)

Tian Tan Buddha(1) - Lantau Island, Hong Kong | ©pixabay.com(2013)

Tian Tan Buddha(2) - Lantau Island, Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Tai O#

Tai O is a fishing town, partly located on an island of the same name, on the wester side of Lantau Island in Hong Kong. The village names means large inlet, referring to outlet for the waterways (Tai O Creek and Tai O River) merges as it moves through Tai O.

Tai O - Lantau Island(1), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Tai O - Lantau Island(2), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Tai O market(1) - Lantau Island, Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Tai O market(2) - Lantau Island, Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Tai O - Lantau Island(3), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Victoria Peak#

Victoria Peak is the most famous mountain in the western half of Hong Kong Island. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. With an elevation of 552 m, it is the highest mountain on Hong Kong island, ranked 31 in terms of elevation in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The summit is occupied by a radio telecommunications facility and is closed to the public. It is a major tourist attraction that offers views over Central, Victoria Harbour, Lamma Island and the surrounding islands. The number of visitors led to the construction of two major leisure and shopping centres, the Peak Tower and the Peak Galleria, situated adjacent to each other.

Ropeway to Victoria Peak, Hong Kong | ©pixabay.com(2011)

Whampoa Garden#

Whampoa Garden is the largest private housing estate located in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was built on the site of the former Whampoa Dockyards by Hutchison Whampoa Property. The urban design of the estate incorporates concepts inspired by the Garden city movement and was completed in 1991. The Whampoa is a ship-shaped shoppingcenter and servers also as a hotel. It is in the midst of skyscrapers.

Whampoa Garden(1), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Whampoa Garden(2), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Whampoa cruise ship(1), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Whampoa cruise ship(2), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Whampoa cruise ship(3), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Whampoa cruise ship(4), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

The Dragon's Back#

The Dragons's Back is a famous hiking trail in Hong Kong. The trail provides stunning views of Shek O, Stanley, Tai Tam, and the South China Sea. It's called daragon's back because the trail is on the back of the hill tops and they look like a dragon's back. Depending on the starting point, the trail ends in Shek O, a beachside village located on the south-eastern part of Hong Kong Island.

The Dragons´back(1), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

The Dragons´back(2), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

The Dragons´back(3), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

The Dragons´back(4), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Beach in Shek O(1), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Repulse Bay#

Repulse Bay is a bay in the southern part of Hong Kong Island. The Repulse Bay area is one of the most expensive housing areas in Hong Kong. In 2012, some townhouses reached HK$50,000 (US$6,500) per square foot.

Repulse Bay(1), Hong Kong | ©pixabay.com(2016)

Repulse Bay(2), Hong Kong | ©Jasmin Hopf(2015)

Repulse Bay(2), Hong Kong | ©pixabay.com(2016)

Ding Ding - Hong Kong Tramways#

Hong Kong Tramways is a tram system in Hong Kong and one of the earliest forms of public transport in the metropolis. Owned and operated by Veolia Transport RATP Asia, the tramway runs on Hong Kong Island between Shau Kei Wan and Kennedy Town, with a branch circulating through Happy Valley. Trams in Hong Kong have not only been a form of commuter transport for over 110 years, but also a major tourist attraction and one of the most environmentally friendly ways of travelling in Hong Kong. The tram system is the only one in the world operated exclusively with double-decker trams, and is one of only three non-heritage tram systems in the world that use double-deck cars.

Ding Ding, Hong Kong | ©pixabay.com(2015)

Hong Kong junk#

A junk is an ancient Chinese sailing ship design that is still in use today. Beside the more modern ships that transport people, these junks are very popular with tourists.

Tsim Sha Tsui Fire Station#

Tsim Sha Tsui Fire Station is the biggest fire station in Hong Kong, located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. The station stands at the Canton Road, adjacent to China Hong Kong City. The front door of the station was stylished with old style fire alarm lights and guarded by a pair of lion statues. The site was once a Royal Navy torpedo depot. Hong Kong has nearly 80 fire stations in total.

Street markets#

In Hong Kong there are several street markets like the Temple Street, Ladies Market, Stanley Market, Ap Liu Street, ... All of these markets have some other focus. The Ladies Market is the most famous of these.

Typical food in Hong Kong#

Hong Kong is frequently described as a place where "East meets West", reflecting the culture's mix of the territory's Chinese roots with influences from its time as a British colony, where dim sum, hot pot, and fast food restaurants coexist with haute cuisine.